Records: Chronic problems with elevators at Texas hospital

February 22, 2019

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — An examination of hospital and other records reveals chronic problems with elevators at a Fort Worth hospital where a nurse was seriously hurt after stepping onto an elevator that continued to move.

The review by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram found at least 80 work orders were issued after complaints of people being trapped in elevators at John Peter Smith Hospital from January 2018 to January of this year.

Meanwhile, elevators were shut down more than 150 times over that same period. Elevator No. 29, the one in which the nurse was critically injured Jan. 20, was out of service at least eight times.

Hospital executives say the elevator maintenance contractor, Thyssenkrupp Elevators, has been unresponsive to their concerns.

But Thyssenkrupp contends the hospital has amplified problems by having hospital workers conduct repairs rather than the contractor.